Means for finishing loom reeds



July 6, 193 7.

G. A. MCFETTERS MEANS FOR FINISHING LOOM REEDS s sheets sheet 1 GEORGE Afl fiirrsns Filed Nov. 29, 1955 July 6, 1937. e. A. McFETTERS MEANS FOR FINISHING LOOM REEDS Filed Nov. 29, 1935 ,5 Sheets-Sheet 2 only f I NVENTO/Q; 65m

2 A. Mi -areas July 6, 1937. a. A. McFETTERS MEANS FOR FINISHING LOOM REEDS s Shts-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 29. 1935 LII/IA 'III; VIAVIIIII luvs/woe: GEORGE A-M fsrrsksl Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR FINISHING LOOM REEDS George A. McFetters, Greensboro, N. 0.

Application November 29, 1935, Serial No. 52,228

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method and means for finishing the rib portions of cotton reeds of a pitch band type in order that the same may be of uniform gauge and thickness throughout its en- 5 tire length. The invention is especially adaptable to be used on cotton reeds of the pitch band type where the ribbed portions have an uneven outside finish due to the varying conditions in the manufacture of the reed. I-Ieretofore, in the manu- 10 facture of cotton reeds, it has been impossible to get an accurate gauge of ribs the entire length of the reed. Even though at places the rib may gauge correctly as to diameter, the dents or wires will not be exactly centered between the ribs to 15 cause the center line of the rib to be symmetrically disposed about the center line of the split. The reason for this unsymmetrical external finish on the loom reed is partly to be attributed to the wood strips which are usually half-rounds. These 2 strips may vary slightly as to thickness, also the pitch twine usually has less pitch in the center than it has on the outside of the spool and therefore, the size of the rib would be diminished as the reed is formed. Furthermore, when running this spool of pitched twine on the reed machine, the tension will grow greater as the diameter of the spool grows smaller, resulting in a tighter winding of the pitched yarn as the spool becomes empty.

In all of these varying conditions, the tendency is for the outside finished portions of the ribs to diminish in diameter as the making of the reed progresses until a spool of twine is exhausted, and at which time a new spool is substituted and consequently the diameter of the rib will be greater when use of the new spool is begun.

This variation in the gauge of the reed causes much trouble to the weaving trade. For example, a loom may be lined up to take a certain reed, and upon turning this reed, end for end, or upside down, the inaccuracy of the rib will necessitate the re-alining of the loom because when the ribs are not accurate, the dents or splits are not properly centered. If the loom is not alined every time the reed is installed, the loo-m will not operate smoothly and the wear on shuttles will be excessive.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a heated die' through which each rib of the reed is passed to cause the irregular surfaces on the reed of the rib to be smoothed out thereby presenting a uniform thickness and a smooth surface from end to end of each of the ribs. The heating element will melt the pitch which is on 55 the twine for spacing the splits in the reeds and ed die, the rib has a uniform diameter throughv out and the splits are perfectly centered in the.

ribs. The reed canthen be installed in any loom, and after alining it, it will be reversible without re-alining the loom. The uniform and accurate gauge of the ribs will decrease the shuttle wear.

It should be borne in mind that difierent count reeds will vary slightly as tothe diameter of rib and that it is impractical to make wood strips for every different count reed. For example, the twine used in the 32-dent reed will be slightly smaller in diameter than the twine used in a 28- dent reed, which will result in a slight variation in the diameter of the rib. With this invention, all ribs going through the die will be of similar and of like diameter. Therefore, when a mill equipped with one count reed changes to a difierent count reed, no adjusting of the loom will be necessary in as much as all ribs will be of uniform diameter regardless of the count per inch.

In other words, it is not only the reeds of the same count that will be identical as to the size of the rib, but all orders of reeds which are processed through this die, will be of identical size and shape in the rib.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a portion of a planing machine with the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken along line 33 in Figure 1;

Figurei is an elevation taken along line 4-4 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional plan view taken along line 55 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 6-5 in Figure 5;

Figure '7 is an isometric view of the clamping means for the reed shown in conjunction with the heating element;

Figure 8 is a sectional detail view taken along line 88 in Figure 3;

Figure 9 is an elevation taken along line 99 in Figure 2;

Figure 10 is a schematic wiring diagram showing a rheostat control for the heating element.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 59 denotes the base portion of a planing machine which has suitable bearings secured to the lower portion thereof in which transverse shaft II is rotatably mounted. This shaft has a gear I2 fixedly secured on the end thereof, which is driven by a suitable source of power not shown. Fixedly mounted on the in termediate portion of shaft H is a pinion 13 which meshes with a gear l6 fixedly mounted on transverse shaft l5, said shaft l5 being rotatably mounted in base portion 16. The gear I4 also meshes with a rack 16 secured to the lower portion of sliding bed plate or table II. The bed plate I! has V-shaped grooves cut in the lower sides thereof which are adapted to fit into trackways i8 and I9 projecting upwardly from base member 59.

The base member l9 also has supporting members 26 and 2! fixedly secured to the side portion thereof and projecting upwardly therefrom, said supports having vertical slots 22 and 23 therein which are penetrated by bolts 24 and 25 respectively. These bolts are fixedly secured to movable lintel 26 and are adapted to be moved freely up and down in slots 22 and 23 by suitable means which will be presently described. In order to loosely confine the bolts 24 and 25 in slots 22 and 23, plate washers 27 and 28 are placed around these bolts and on the opposite sides of the supporting columns 26 and 2l from the side which the lintel 26 is positioned. The lintel 26 has projections 30 and Si integral therewith and extending from each. end thereof which have threadably mounted therein lift rods 32 and 33 respectively. The upper end of these rods are rotatably mounted in lugs 34 and 35 extending laterally from the upper portion of supports 29 and 21.

Secured on the upper ends of rods 32 and 33 directly above lugs 34 and 35 are bevel gears 36 and 31 respectively, which are operated by any suitable means, not shown, when it is desired to raise or lower the lintel 26.

The lintel 26 has a threaded rod 49 rotatably mounted therein, said rod having a suitable handle 42 on one end thereof for the operation of the same. This rod engages a suitable head piece 43 which is connected to lintel 26 by means of a suitable mortise and tenon joint." The tenon joint is indicated by the reference character 44 and is an integral part of the lintel 26. Member 43 has another mortise cut therein in which tenon 46 of member l! is adapted to slide. The member 5! is moved up or down on' the head piece 43 by means of a suitable threaded rod 48 which has its upper portion rotatably mounted in lug 49 of head 43 and has its lower end threadably engaging the member 47.

A suitable operating wheel 59 is'secured to the 'upper'end of rod 48 which is turned by hand when it is desired to adjust the member 41 in a vertical position. Likewise, if it is desired to adjust the head 43 and member 6'5 transversely of the planing machine the handle 42 and rod 40 are operated.

The function of the rods 32 and 33 is merely to adjust the location of the lintel 26 roughly in a vertical position and then minute adjustments of the member 41 can be made through hand wheel 59 and threaded rod 48.

The parts thus far described are conventional,

in an ordinary planing machine, but it is deemed necessary to describe the operation of these parts in order to set forth the invention more clearly.

Secured in the face of member 41 is hub- 55 in which is slidably mounted a supporting member 56, which supporting member is held in adjusted position by any suitable means such as set screw 51. To the lower end of member 56 is secured a heating element 59 which comprises a cup member 60 preferably made of steel and a cover member 6|. The cavity in cup member BI is lined with a suitable non-electric conductive material 62 such as mica and inside of this mica a suitable asbestos board 63 is placed. The asbestos board is punched full of holes and a resistance or heating wire 64 is laced therethrough.

One end of wire 64 is connected as at 65 to another wire 66, which wire is connected as at 67 to rheostat control arm 68 of rheostat 69. To the other side of rheostat 69 is connected lead wire 19. The other end of resistance or heating wire 64 is connected as at E2 to the other lead wire 13, the lead wires 70 and 73 being connected to a conventional circuit. When the current is admitted through wires 19 and 73 the resistance oifered by wire 64 to the current will cause heat to be produced and therefore the entire heating element 59 will be heated. In order to control the amount of current to which the wire 64 is subjected, the rheostat 69 is provided.

The cup 69 has a die portion 15 cut therein which is exactly of the desired diameter of a finished rib. It will be noted that this portion i5 is flared as at 16 and T! in order to allow an irregular shaped rib of a loom reed to enter the portion 15 without damaging the same.

In order to support a loom reed in the proper position so that the rib of a loom reed can pass through this die in the proper position, an I- beam "58 is secured to the upper portion of sliding bed plate I! by any suitable means such as stud bolts 19. This I-beam has an upper flange 80 which is planed very accurately and smoothly, especially along the surfaces 8| and 82. Another I-beam 83 is normally supported above the I-beam 18 by means of two pairs of pins 84, one pair being at each of the beams and these pins, which slidably penetrate flange 89, have their upper ends threadably engaging the lower flange 86 of I-beam 83. Each of the pins 84 has a collar 85 therearound which restricts the upward movement of spring 81. The spring 81 is confined between the collar 85 and the lower flange of I-beam l8 and normally causes the pins 14 to hold the I-beam 83 in a raised position. The bottom flange 86 is planed very accurately and true especially along the surfaces 96 and 9|. of a loom reed, a reed 92 having ribs 93 and 94 is placed between the two beams 78 and 83 in the manner shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 7 and 9. The rib 93 is placed against the planed surfaces 8| and 9! of the beams'l8 and 83 and then the top beam 83 is. lowered to clamp the same in the position shown in Figure 9.

The heating element 61 is lowered to the proper position by the various adjusting means previously described, after which the bed plate will be moved longitudinally of the planing machine to cause the I-beams l9 and 83 together with the loom reed 92 to cause the rib 94 to be moved through the die portion 15. Since this die portion is heated, the pitch on the rib 94 will be melted and a uniform surface will be produced. After the rib 94 has been passed through the die portion 15 and smoothed up properly, the loom reed 92 is then reversed and the rib 93 is passed through the heating element in the same man When it is desired to finish the ribs operation of the same.

ner as the rib 94 has previously been passed through.

In order to hold the loom reeds 92 in a clamped position between the flanges 8E! and 86, an L- shaped member 91 has one leg thereof pivoted as at 98 to the top flange to the beam 83 and at a point midway between its ends. The lower edge of the vertical leg of member 97 rests upon the top of bed plate H. An inverted U-shaped member 98 has its ends secured to bed plate W and the upper horizontal portion thereof has pivotally mounted thereon an eccentric block I00. This block N has a handle ii]! for the When the beam 83 and the eccentric are in an operative position, that is, in a clamped position, the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3. If it is desired to release the pressure on the top I-beam 83, to move the reed 92, the eccentric N36 is rotated in a counter-clockwise manner (Fig. 3) which will relieve any pressure exerted upon the beam 83 by the eccentric Hi0. When this is done the beam 83 will automatically move upwardly since the springs 81 normally hold the beam 83 away from the beam 18 when the means for holding the beam in a clamped position is not applied.

It will be noted by referring to Figure 3 that the eccentric I08 will remain in the position shown since the point where the horizontal portion of U-shaped member 98 pierces the eccentric W9 is to the right of the center of the eccentric. When the eccentric lever Elli is rotated in a clockwise manner far enough to cause the pivot point of the U-shaped member 98 to fall to the left of the center of the eccentric I00 then the springs 81 will move the beam 83 upwardly and at this time the loom reed 92 can be moved. While the heating element is shown in a stationary position and the loom reed is moved therethrough, it is evident that the reverse operation could be produced, that is, the loom reed could be held in stationary position and the heating element moved longitudinally thereof.

If desired, a thin stop plate I02 may be. secured to the top flange of beam 18 to prevent any slippage of the reed 92 between the two beams when the bed plate 16 is travelling from left to right; however, the friction between the reed and the flanges 8i and 9| is ordinarily sufficient to prevent any movement or slippage of the reed while it is being finished by the mechanism.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

Apparatus for treating loom reeds of the type having half-round wood members on each side of the splits with a pitch-impregnated cord, comprising a shaping member having a tapered bore extending therethrough and having a slot extending from said bore to the exterior of said shaping member whereby the half-round wood members with the pitched cord wound therearound can be passed through said bore while the splits pass through said slot and a heating element in said shaping member for heating the walls of said bore.

GEO- A. MQFE'I'I'ERS. 

